Pay attention. I said weight loss (sustained, not just immediate). I also am not critiquing a "healthy lifestyle" - this is about long term weight loss and giving the human body its correct energy.

You want sustained weight loss? In "Long-term effectiveness of diet-plus-exercise interventions vs. diet-only interventions for weight loss: a meta-analysis" in Obesity Reviews you get just that. It's conclusion?

YES IT DOES. READ THE DAMNED BOOK. I'm not paleo - but there are lessons to be learned from non-grain dependent diets.

Cut out grains. I won't. Exercise or don't exercise, I don't care. I will.

I'll continue to be healthier. And I can provide plenty of published support as to why.

Quote

I never ONCE said exercise isn't a healthy thing to do, but I don't believe sedentary life that CAUSES obesity. Also, there are a number of reasons why rigorous exercise can be damaging to your body. It also tends to "work up an appetite", thus creating a further demand for more calories and SMS'd to your hunger response.

We're arguing two different things. I never claimed a sedentary lifestyle causes obesity, either. But to say that as a society we are collectively more obese despite greater exercise popularity, you're oversimplifying the scenario.

Ultimately it matters little to my quality of life. Even in weight training there are multiple schools of thought (in terms of published research, not bros arguing at the gym) with both support and dissent. Same goes for diet.

I have experienced effective long-term weight loss and maintenance without any need to cut out grains. Not just due to diet, but in large part to exercise as well. Including the increased hunger associated with it. So? And I can find research supporting my lifestyle's effectiveness. More than just one worldview or methodology can be successful.

« Last Edit: September 14, 2011, 01:47:58 AM by PeteRock »

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Beauty is only skin deep. Which is why I take very good care of my skin.

after reading this thread, Im kind of interested in giving the Paleo thing a try. I thought Id check out the Primal Blueprint Cook Book and wondered if I could get by with that or if I needed The Primal Blueprint book as well. I actually tried the southbeach diet a few years ago and it worked well but the food was bland and repetitive and once I dropped it, I gained everything back ( and then some ) anyways, I was curious where I should start and if just getting the cookbook would be enough.

I'd recommend starting with the Blueprint as it will give you a more complete picture. A big part of primal is also maintaining an active lifestyle.

FYI for those interested, here's a succinct post describing core differences between pure paleo and primal. There's a note about fat consumption. I don't count calories anymore, but when I did it was interesting to note that around 50-60% of my daily calories came from fat. I do think it's sustainable as a "lifestyle" (for lack of a better word). Especially if you build in a cheat day once a week.

For all of the arguments (on both sides) the simple fact on exercise is that every single low carb "diet" recommends some form of exercise. None of them say you get the same results sitting on your ass all day compared to even minimal exercise. Also the studies are pointless anyway...there's plenty of studies that show exercise by itself doesn't lead to weight loss and it some cases can cause weight gain (especially with no diet change to go with it). It's a pointless argument at this point anyway and also doesn't apply to the discussion at all since the initial discussion was about a healthy diet and good food choices.

So anyway Purge...it's been close to two weeks...how about any results?

Are you trying to communicate something? All I'm picking up are snide and derision.

Yes. I am.

This thread has degenerated into a lot of name-calling, bitching, and arguing back and forth. What I originally came in here for (help regarding weight loss) is now a complete waste of time to try to sort through, because all it has become is , "You said this" "I meant this." "This is right, you're right." "Well, this study says YOU are a poopyhead, so there!".

Our bodies aren't simple math, and to think that such a complex system is nothing but cal in|cal out and that the cause of obesity is sloth or gluttony needs compelling scientific proof.

It is really that simple. Gaining weight is cal in > cal out. Losing weight is cal in < cal out. Cal in is from all the stuff that you eat. Cal out is the amount that your body burn + the amount of calories your secreted in your poop, your piss, and your sweat.

News flash cheeba - the fatter you are the easier it is to lose weight. Dropping from your prior state of obesity to your current state doesn't make you an expert in any way, shape or form.

Ah, so you are looking for the opinion of experts! So let's take a look at some experts, shall we?

How about the Founder and Director of Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center?The Director of Preventative Cardiology at the University of Chicago Medical Center?The Co-Director of the West Virginia University School of Medicine Health Research Center...The Director of Yale University Prevention Research Center...The Clinical Director of Northwestern Comprehensive Center on Obesity...The Nutrition director, Duke University Diet and Fitness Center...

Those people along with 15 others with equally fancy titles all rated 20 diets for Overall Best Diet, Best Weight-Loss Diet, Best Heart Healthy Diet, and Best Diabetes Diet. Paleo came in last in every category except 1 where it was 19th. [Source]

You want to whine and say, "but you haven't done it, you're no expert!" Fine, I'm no expert. There are a bunch of people who are, so perhaps you should try to convince them how s-m-r-t you are because you've been dealing with nutrition since you were 10.

I think the big problem I have with all of this is that, when looking at all of the media covering the bases, the science takes a back seat to common knowledge. If someone had proof that exercise shows no compelling evidence to driving weight loss, you'd be crucified for suggesting that focus on exercise is at least important.

I think one person has read/listened to the book besides myself. You want quotes and evidence? Taubes provides that in it, and even more in Good Calories, Bad Calories. Sorry but I don't feel like digging up the information compiled.

As for my body transformation, I've weighed myself infrequently, and the lowest I've clocked in at was 264. I'd say I'm about 3 lbs lighter, however I have also begun to attend the gym on lunchbreaks and cycle to-and-from work. I was on vacation before this, and when I reported I was 270 almost two weeks ago, it was what I weighed that morning. I would say I was closer to 274-6 just before starting this.

My body feels like it's normalizing to the lack of carbs, and I have more ... endurance? in my cycling. It feels like I can dig deeper. I took the stairs for the first time today (there was a big lineup at the elevator), and I found that it was a little easier. Once again, I've been working out (strength circuit - Friday I did core and legs, 1100lbs + sled on leg press and calf raises, 285 deadlifts, rev. back extension on a ball paired with russian twists. 5 sets, 8 reps of the weights and 15-20 of the core.

I was sore on Saturday, but still had enough energy to work on moving furniture. Sunday I spent on my hands and knees working on our bathroom flooring. Monday I was swinging a pick-axe clearing out a 40ft trench for my dad's cottage after a full day of work. Today I cycled into the 30-gusting-to-50mph winds.

Also, Pete, if you're doing something that you enjoy rather than just working out for the sake of working out, I think it's more likely to form as habit and you will continue it long-term. Do you agree? As for grains, if your body can handle it (despite it not being the food source we're built for) then go for it. There are other risks over and above just fat cells though, including the risks of heart disease etc. Not everyone who smokes gets lung cancer, but smoking drastically increases your chances. If the observations presented in the book are correct, there are cholesterol concerns as well as other health risks.

Those people along with 15 others with equally fancy titles all rated 20 diets for Overall Best Diet, Best Weight-Loss Diet, Best Heart Healthy Diet, and Best Diabetes Diet. Paleo came in last in every category except 1 where it was 19th. [Source]

Those people along with 15 others with equally fancy titles all rated 20 diets for Overall Best Diet, Best Weight-Loss Diet, Best Heart Healthy Diet, and Best Diabetes Diet. Paleo came in last in every category except 1 where it was 19th. [Source]

Those people along with 15 others with equally fancy titles all rated 20 diets for Overall Best Diet, Best Weight-Loss Diet, Best Heart Healthy Diet, and Best Diabetes Diet. Paleo came in last in every category except 1 where it was 19th. [Source]

A question for Purge, you're promoting this "best" diet but how long have you been on the diet? According to your first post that was posted at Sept 3rd, you're at 3 days? So you have been on the diet for only 2 weeks so far? Maybe too early to make a conclusion on the quality of the diet?

Did you read my first post? I've been on a variant of it (Protein Power) and have maintained a 100lb weight loss for almost a decade. I'm looking to go from obese to healthy, so I'm making the switch back.

This time I have very compelling information that allows me to actually satisfy my hunger appropriately.

[edit] Added smiley in case it sounded rude - I wrote this in bed after I was up for the 3rd time with a sick child who just threw up on not just his bedroom floor, but then he came into our room and then again.

Poor kid.

« Last Edit: September 14, 2011, 01:52:37 PM by Purge »

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"If it weren't for Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television, we'd still be eating frozen radio dinners." - Johnny Carson

News flash cheeba - the fatter you are the easier it is to lose weight. Dropping from your prior state of obesity to your current state doesn't make you an expert in any way, shape or form.

Ah, so you are looking for the opinion of experts! So let's take a look at some experts, shall we?

How about the Founder and Director of Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center?The Director of Preventative Cardiology at the University of Chicago Medical Center?The Co-Director of the West Virginia University School of Medicine Health Research Center...The Director of Yale University Prevention Research Center...The Clinical Director of Northwestern Comprehensive Center on Obesity...The Nutrition director, Duke University Diet and Fitness Center...

Those people along with 15 others with equally fancy titles all rated 20 diets for Overall Best Diet, Best Weight-Loss Diet, Best Heart Healthy Diet, and Best Diabetes Diet. Paleo came in last in every category except 1 where it was 19th. [Source]

You want to whine and say, "but you haven't done it, you're no expert!" Fine, I'm no expert. There are a bunch of people who are, so perhaps you should try to convince them how s-m-r-t you are because you've been dealing with nutrition since you were 10.

The comical thing, cheeba, is I linked to a Dr's response to that very article earlier in this thread. The guy specifically goes through and refutes the lack of research done in putting the information together and provides evidence on a point by point basis as to why paleo was not given a fair 'shot' in these rankings. You must have missed that because you were too busy writing something bad about paleo without bothering to research it

But I tell you what, bring any of those experts on here and I'll happily argue diets with them My point is you're not in a situation to keep trying to pull the hatchet job on paleo that you seem determined to do. I just cannot for the life of me figure out why it's so important to you to keep pulling it down. It works. It's worked on every single person I've ever seen who has tried it. It's worked on every single person I've ever heard about who has tried it. Not everyone who tries it sticks with it - that's a choice, just like it is a choice to stick with any diet or lifestyle change.

Why do you have such a vested emotional interest in making sure nobody here even tries it? I know why I'm promoting it - because I've lived and seen the results, and I want to help people. You've done neither, and yet you want to make sure nobody gives it a shot. What's up with that?

Just for clarification, lack of exercise is not my primary problem. I am quite active. My problem is I have terrible eating habits and I eat a lot of junk. I work a 2nd shift job and always find myself hungry late at night and it requires amazing willpower not to snack after midnite for me. I have altered my schedule to help avoid this. I used to stay up until 2:30 to 3:00am ( I get home around 11:00pm ) and it was inevitable Id munch on something. Now I get to bed by midnite and get up earlier. Anyway, the reason I was asking about Primal was to change what I put into my body. Its great some of you are willing to eat anything and then exercise it away, but thats not for me. I want to cut out a lot of the sugars and carbs that I dont need, from my diet. Hell, everything in my cupboard seems to have some form of high fructose corn syrup in it. I was looking at Primal as a way to cut out the overprocessing and added garbage that packaged foods contain. I mentioned I tried the South Beach diet, which did work. I wanted something similar but with different food choices. Ultimately I found the SB diet to contained too much fish, which Im not a big fan of, and substitutions for the fish were quite often the same and very repetitive.

The bottom line is it is my hope that a primal type diet will work for me, in altering my food choices and eating habits and give me a bit more variety than the SB diet did. Ive taken the first step in changing my late night schedule ( which has resulted in some weight loss ) but I know I can do more. To those of you who have found success in losing weight and keeping it off, congratulations. Its tough to beat decades of poor eating habits and requires a lot of willpower.

My point is you're not in a situation to keep trying to pull the hatchet job on paleo that you seem determined to do. I just cannot for the life of me figure out why it's so important to you to keep pulling it down. It works. It's worked on every single person I've ever seen who has tried it. It's worked on every single person I've ever heard about who has tried it. Not everyone who tries it sticks with it - that's a choice, just like it is a choice to stick with any diet or lifestyle change.

Why do you have such a vested emotional interest in making sure nobody here even tries it? I know why I'm promoting it - because I've lived and seen the results, and I want to help people. You've done neither, and yet you want to make sure nobody gives it a shot. What's up with that?

You don't get it, which is not surprising. You say I can't speak here because I have not lost weight and maintained it. Purge has also not lost weight and maintained it, but you've said nothing about his expertise. You think you are an expert even though you have not lost weight and maintained it. You say I'm no expert, so I list a bunch of experts who think Paleo is the worst of the recent fad diets. Your response is that your expert is better than those experts.

My opinion is that you're just talking out of your ass and you are completely ridiculous for telling anyone they shouldn't listen to anyone else.

My opinion on Paleo, as I've said, is that it will absolutely work for those who stick with it. But I don't like diets that tell you that you cannot eat certain foods, especially diets like Paleo that tell you not to eat certain excellent foods like green beans or cheese sticks or peanut butter. I don't think anyone reasonable will stick with a Paleo diet in the long term at all. Those who do are almost all crossfit cultists, and they would all strongly disagree with Purge on the importance of exercise to a healthy lifestyle.

To each his own and what may work for me may not work for you, but do your own research and don't rely on crazy people on internet gaming forums (of which I am one).

Purge has also not lost weight and maintained it, but you've said nothing about his expertise.

Actually, I was 365lbs back in the early 2000's - I went on Protein Power around 2002, and lost over 110 lbs, and stabilized at 265lbs. That weight has never returned, although the "lifestyle change" fell apart because I was trying to raise my protein intake to 60% (per the diet) and I had seen a dietitian at the time and was told to eat more carbs. Fell off the wagon with that one, but my weight has not gone up significantly.

Two years ago I went with the recommended "balanced" diet, and got down to 245, but couldn't maintain it due to stress (I was actually off work for 3 months due to some personal issues in my life). In August, I was ~275. I'm sub-270, and I feed my appetite rather than ignore it.

I avoid being around carbs as much as I can - your insulin reaction actually happens before you ingest it as your body prepares for the glycemic impact.

Yesterday my bosses boss put out coffee and donuts for the entire department; I managed to politely turn it down (even though I could feel the pull).

It isn't easy initially - since I've been through this before I know what to expect. It isn't easy to beat the sugar addiction.

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"If it weren't for Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television, we'd still be eating frozen radio dinners." - Johnny Carson

Just for clarification, lack of exercise is not my primary problem. I am quite active. My problem is I have terrible eating habits and I eat a lot of junk. I work a 2nd shift job and always find myself hungry late at night and it requires amazing willpower not to snack after midnite for me. I have altered my schedule to help avoid this. I used to stay up until 2:30 to 3:00am ( I get home around 11:00pm ) and it was inevitable Id munch on something. Now I get to bed by midnite and get up earlier. Anyway, the reason I was asking about Primal was to change what I put into my body. Its great some of you are willing to eat anything and then exercise it away, but thats not for me. I want to cut out a lot of the sugars and carbs that I dont need, from my diet. Hell, everything in my cupboard seems to have some form of high fructose corn syrup in it. I was looking at Primal as a way to cut out the overprocessing and added garbage that packaged foods contain. I mentioned I tried the South Beach diet, which did work. I wanted something similar but with different food choices. Ultimately I found the SB diet to contained too much fish, which Im not a big fan of, and substitutions for the fish were quite often the same and very repetitive.

The bottom line is it is my hope that a primal type diet will work for me, in altering my food choices and eating habits and give me a bit more variety than the SB diet did. Ive taken the first step in changing my late night schedule ( which has resulted in some weight loss ) but I know I can do more. To those of you who have found success in losing weight and keeping it off, congratulations. Its tough to beat decades of poor eating habits and requires a lot of willpower.

Yep, then the cookbook will be good. I recommend "Quick and Easy Meals" over the plain Primal cookbook. I have both and cook out of Quick and Easy way WAY more than the original.

The fitness advice in Blueprint boils down to more high-intensity interval style workouts and more natural weightlifting stuff. Less hours upon hours of constant state cardio.

One: they add something to Kirkland mixed nuts (and the almonds or cashews, in my experience) that aggrevates my digestive system. I've switched to the non-roasted almonds, and no problems. I've tested this over the past decade, and it never fails.

Secondly, the first 3-5 days of switching over produce bowel movements that are ... interesting. I'm a one-a-day, rarely two. Those days? I was going to set up my cubicle in stall #2.

Then everything settled down, and it's good ol' reliable.

I'm just sayin'.

« Last Edit: September 14, 2011, 07:25:46 PM by Purge »

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"If it weren't for Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television, we'd still be eating frozen radio dinners." - Johnny Carson

You don't get it, which is not surprising. You say I can't speak here because I have not lost weight and maintained it. Purge has also not lost weight and maintained it, but you've said nothing about his expertise. You think you are an expert even though you have not lost weight and maintained it. You say I'm no expert, so I list a bunch of experts who think Paleo is the worst of the recent fad diets. Your response is that your expert is better than those experts.

You don't get it, which is not surprising. It isn't that you can't speak here. It's that I don't get why you're speaking here. You are doing something that is currently helping you to lose weight. Great. But you persist in hanging around a thread about a specific diet, arguing as to why people shouldn't pursue that diet. And your argument consists essentially of this:

Quote

But I don't like diets that tell you that you cannot eat certain foods

We get you don't like those diets, cheeba. Nobody is telling you that you need to be on one. You have your own choice to make. Why do you persist on attacking an effective and healthy diet and try to dissuade people from trying it because it doesn't meet your personal dietary preferences?

Quote

My opinion is that you're just talking out of your ass and you are completely ridiculous for telling anyone they shouldn't listen to anyone else.

Well, there's a couple of problems with this sentence. For one, I am not talking out of my ass. I keep explaining this, but you seem to keep willfully ignoring it. I've been receiving dietary education related to athletic performance since I was a kid. In addition to all of those various seminars, lectures etc etc, I was a college scholarship athlete, where I received even more dietary education. Following this I played a sport at a professional level, where I personally consulted with professional dieticians. Since then, I have been a college tennis coach, where continuing education on diet is a part of my job. In addition to this, I have tried multiple diets, and coached people using multiple diets. I personally have had great success with paleo. I've coached people, both in tennis and in martial arts, who have had great success with paleo (none of whom do crossfit, fyi). I've known dozens of people who live on paleo, and every single one of them both loves it and has great success on it. Yes there are people who know more biology than I do. But when it comes to hands on applications, I doubt there's more than one or two people who have more experience on these boards than I do. You are not one of them.

Paleo is not the only way to live. I will only tell people not to listen to you when it comes to your aggressive criticism of a diet that works, when you have never even tried it yourself. People are more than welcome to try it your way. It can be done. I've said this before, and I'll say it again: I maintained a healthy body weight as an adult for more than 10 years using essentially a combination of moderation and exercise. I'm telling people a simple truth: if they can eat paleo, they will get better weight loss results in a healthier way without having to feel hungry.

You don't like paleo - we all get that. You don't like having what you can eat restricted and prefer to restrict how much of it you eat. We get that. What exactly is your goal in continuing to post in this thread? If you want to educate people on your lifestyle choice, then make your own thread about it. People who want to read about it can then ask you questions in that thread. That's what Purge did, and yet you continue to post here arguing.

In response to a (troll bait?) post from rshetts2, I'm not prepared to derail Zarks thread. He needs support, and all I said was the physicians can give advice, but it's not gospel as they have not been able to stem the tide of obesity.

Here's the post:

Quote from: rshetts2 on October 04, 2011, 04:12:22 AM

Quote from: Purge on October 04, 2011, 01:18:24 AM

Quote from: rshetts2 on October 04, 2011, 01:08:41 AM

Just one piece of advice. Please be careful taking your advice from people on the internet. They can tell you what works for them but they dont know your situation and advice involving exercise and diet should be cleared with your physician. Good Luck!

Well... on this one I can say that perhaps having your physician assist you in tracking progress and monitoring key elements (such as cholesterol etc) during your change. You may consider his or her advice, but they are just as reliable on the advice portion as anyone else. If they had the cure, then we wouldn't have an epidemic.

Seriously?! You find the advice of a trained physician to be on par with your average joe on the internet? Interesting

I said *anyone else* - all the physician can go on is anecdotal evidence. Caloric restriction has another word: Starvation. So yes, I suppose that includes average Joes on the internet as long as they have something to back it up with.

I've had doctors lecture me on weight loss 10 years ago. I'm way thinner and in better physical health than they are now. You tell me that just because they took training 10, 20, 30 years ago they know everything about the body and how it ACTUALLY works? Why is it that we have fat doctors?

If physicians knew everything, explain how the following situation occurred:I almost lost my brother to appendicitis not once, twice, thrice, but FOUR times in the span of 3 months because a doctor said it didn't show a key symptom (pushing down on the appendix and rapid release should cause great pain). The surgeon, not the "doctor" just so happened to talk to my parents and got him into the OR. There were four major lesions on his appendix when it was removed, IIRC. Appendi-frickin-citis - something that they do on a frequent basis, and still can't answer WHY we need to have them removed even though in cultures absent of heavy grain consumption they do NOT.

I still remember him being doped up on morphine for the pain, and he isn't one to complain. FWIW my brother is, and was, in fantastic physical health and body weight. He's an arborist by trade.

When you walk into a doctors office, don't be fooled by the white coat. There is no magical barrier that prevents them from being wrong, or any less beguiled by the direction the medical industry has taken (in fact, it's generally worse since they've got a Pavlovian response to obesity eat less, move more).

Science is a proven method - and right now, the field of medicine is ignoring proof that what we eat is screwing up our bodies.

I was fat. I still am fat. I've lost more weight than most people ever should. I am decently active, and I've just lost ~15 lbs in the past month (and still going down- I just clocked in at 260.4 this morning). The weight loss wasn't due to exercise - when I got back into my gym routine and cycling it actually stalled the loss a bit.

The loss wasn't due to low fat. And I've been able to maintain a 100lb loss over7+ years. I'd say that if you want to go toe-to-toe on that, be my guest. I'll tell you all about the "dieticians" and their advice. I could also tell you about Meridia and going the drug route. I can also tell you about breaking addiction to sugars, and even now when I taste something that is "sweet" it is easy to spit out - the things I used to love don't taste nearly as good as they used to when it was part of my diet.

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"If it weren't for Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television, we'd still be eating frozen radio dinners." - Johnny Carson

I started later but I'm approaching the end of my second week on low carb. The cravings are very bad this week but I know they'll go away. I've also used this in the past and lost a good 60 pounds and can keep it off with a better diet once I'm "maintaining". Of course my diet has gone to hell in the past few years which is why I'm on it again now

Say what you want but there are multiple people in here that prove that it works. There are plenty of medical studies out there that prove it works. Plenty of other studies out there proving many of the high carb, low fat diets don't work (and in some cases were faked or just plain wrong). You only need to walk the street of any average town to see that something has dramatically changed over the years. I do know that since low fat high carb has been pushed (what...70s, early 80s) that obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and other problems have steadily risen.

Still, everyone who needs to lose is free to try it or not but I don't understand the hate and attacks from the anti low-carb people. Prove your point with results not insults and attacks.

Don't worry...some of us are out here supporting you (and losing along with you). Ignore the rest and the signal to noise will get much better.

But..but...I likes my peanut butter. and it's even non-processed (honey-roasted peanuts run through a crusher, Whole Foods few). And I do limit it. The last batch of PB I bought was about 8-12 months ago, and I have about 30% of it left.

I may look at the store for low-carb flats, also.

I've been re-reading this thread thanks to 'Pug, and I was going to suggest you try almond butter. It's pretty tasty, and it keeps you away from the anti-nutrients found in peanuts (based on the paleo link posted by crux - google "feces in bloodstream" to find it quicker).

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"If it weren't for Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television, we'd still be eating frozen radio dinners." - Johnny Carson

Down to 255 on the scale ... 5 lbs to go to get back to where I was at my "best", and not one calorie counted, no management of food other than not eating grains or sugar. I don't eat by the clock, but instead by my hunger which is a minor fluctuation. I find that I occasionally skip a lunch because my body isn't asking for food. According to hacker diet weight graphing, I'm eating 800 kcal less a day than I need to maintain my weight, or a loss of roughly 1.7lbs a week.

I will eat some fruit on occasion (handful of blueberries, a little bit of apple or berries). As for veggies, I don't eat much of them either - mostly asparagus, spinach, lettuce (the occasional slice of tomato as a treat).

I eat dark chocolate where the cocoa is significantly high - 75% or higher (Lindt 99% is an acquired taste - which I seem to have). I have about 2-5 cups of coffee a week. I bounce between it and tea, and the only other thing I drink is water.

I still exercise for myself (and to maintain and regain some lost strength), although in the past 2 months I've been in the gym about a half-dozen times (last time around I would have been in the gym at least 45 times), and cycled to-and-from work maybe 20 times (which is about 16km x 20) - this would have been 45 times in my previous attempt.

In a nutshell, I haven't been pushing myself hard at all.

My energy levels aren't drastically different on the surface - I just find that I can "dig deeper" when I need to. I effortlessly ran 4 blocks on Thursday for a bus. No huffing or puffing.

My only "off" day since beginning this journey was about 1.5 cups of soft-serve Pumpkin Ice Cream. It REALLY impacted my bowel movement (hershey squirts for the lose). For a late snack I'll indulge in using a slow-release protein shake. 1.5 scoops plus 2 cups of ice, some water, and sometimes 2Tbsp of milk blended together. The milk helps the crushed ice not stick together before the hand blender goes in. Other than that, lots of meat, eggs, a bit of cheese and, of course, a variety of nuts.

I will occasionally taste other foods, but I don't ingest them (think about how cooks taste food and then spit it out). At the beginning it's how I got past some hard times. It's not like I'd eat a pie and vomit - we're talking about taking a bite and enjoying the flavor, and then spitting it out.

Some general observations

- sugary food doesn't taste as good as you think it does when it's part of your diet. - my uncle makes some amazing pie.- KitKat and Coffee Crisp taste almost the same - the big difference is density. After spitting either out, they are almost indiscernible from each other. - Steak fat tastes 1000 times better than bread.- Bacon is easier cooked ahead of time, but clean your house afterwards on account of the smell.

« Last Edit: November 06, 2011, 03:45:27 AM by Purge »

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"If it weren't for Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television, we'd still be eating frozen radio dinners." - Johnny Carson

I eat dark chocolate where the cocoa is significantly high - 75% or higher (Lindt 99% is an acquired taste - which I seem to have). I have about 2-5 cups of coffee a week. I bounce between it and tea, and the only other thing I drink is water.

99% is hardcore. At that point you're basically eating just plant matter I found a good bar with a panther on it that's 88% and apparently helps endangered animals or something. It's tasty but much higher than that and I think it's disgusting.

Quote

For a late snack I'll indulge in using a slow-release protein shake.

Do you use casein or some kind of blend? I use casein from Optimum Nutrition. The consistency of casein is amazing to me. It's like glue. I actually laughed out loud the first couple times I tried to make a shake out of it, and had to keep pouring in more and more liquid to thin it out. I finally gave up and use a hand mixer in a bowl and eat it like pudding. The ON stuff is pretty tasty, much moreso than their whey IMO.

I've got a few pics to post, but since (at Christmas last year) being stressed at the death of my relationship and being wildly unhealthy, I went back to the way I ate to lose weight (all carbs coming in form of high fibre and low sugar intake - staying as close to ketosis as I can, and avoiding large glycemic reactions except when desired (aka at the end of a workout).